Climate

Rainfall

Dt 11:14 speaks of "rain for your land in its season, the early rain and
the later rain", and these may also be distinguished in other passages.
However, rather than two distinct periods of rain there is a wet season and
a dry season in Palestine. The first rains begin around the middle of October,
the major falls are in December-January, while some rain
is still expected in March and April.

Different areas receive very different annual falls. The hill
country and parts of Trans-Jordan have annual figures over 600mm,
while the Negev and around the Dead Sea get less than 100mm.

The photo (above right from Tekoa towards the Dead Sea, Clifford) suggests
how dry much of the promised land is compared to many countries.

Dew is also of major importance, with many areas receiving
as much moisture from this as from rain.

River and Wadi

Water is vital in dry country like Palestine. In that context
much of the use of water as symbol of life and sign of divine
providence makes sense.

When rain falls on the hills water flows in a torrent down
the wadis of Palestine. Because there is little vegetation on the hills this
water arrives first as a flash flood before slowing to a gentler flow (as in
the picture of the Wadi Mujib, from Kartique,
right). These flash floods can carry away and drown unsuspecting animals drinking
from the stream.

Temperatures

The dry months of Summer are also the hottest, with monthly
temperatures between 20° and 30°C and highs of over 40°
in places. These temperatures together with the dry Sirocco wind
soon dry the soil.

In winter, nighttime temperatures are low, and snow even falls on the hills.